fisticuff

== English == === Etymology === From fist +‎ cuff (“blow with the hand”). Modern uses as a verb are a back-formation on the plural uses of the noun. === Noun === fisticuff (plural fisticuffs) (rare) A fistfight. (obsolete) A cuff or blow administered with the fist. === Verb === fisticuff (third-person singular simple present fisticuffs, present participle fisticuffing, simple past and past participle fisticuffed) (chiefly humorous) To engage in a physical fight. (obsolete) To strike, fight or spar with the fists. ==== Derived terms ==== fisticuffer === References === “fisticuff”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. “fisticuff”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989. Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996.